Referee Forces 12-Year-Old Girl To Bench For Wearing Headscarf

Maryland — After a 12-year-old Muslim girl was disqualified for the first half of a youth basketball game because she wore a religious head scarf, parents in Maryland are calling for officials to make some common-sense rules.

The discussion began when a referee made Maheem Haq sit out the game because she wouldn’t take off the head scarf, which he deemed could be a danger on the court. Maheem, like many Muslim women, wears the scarf as a sign of modesty.

“I was upset a little bit ’cause I really wanted to play, and I enjoy playing basketball,” Maheem told WJZ-TV.

Mid-Maryland girls basketball coordinator Daphnie Campbell defended the ref to the television station, saying that parents were required to file a request to allow the 12-year-old to wear the scarf.

“The referee was within his rights,” Campbell said. “He was right to do what he did.”